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Heating Boiler Components & Parts Guide
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• How to Identify the Components of Hot Water Heating Boilers - A Guide to Hydronic Heating System Parts
• What are the basic components of heating boilers and hot water heat?
• How to inspect & repair central hot water heating boilers - hydronic heating

Here we explain How to Identify the Components of Hot Water Heating Boilers and hot water heating systems including oil burners and their parts, boiler parts, hot water baseboard and its parts, hot water radiators, and hot water convector units and their parts and controls. This website answers most questions about central hot water heating system troubleshooting, inspection, diagnosis, and repairs.

We describe how to inspect residential heating systems to inform home owners, buyers, and home inspectors of common heating system defects.

The articles at this website describe the basic components of a home heating system, how to find the rated heating capacity of an heating system by examining various data tags and components, how to recognize common heating system operating or safety defects, and how to save money on home heating costs.

Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution. © Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use the links at page left to navigate this document or to go to Other Website Topics. Green links at left show where you are in our document & website.

A List & Dictionary of Oil Fired Heating Boiler Parts & Components

• Heating Boiler
• Boiler flue vent connector "stack pipe" or "flue" and barometric damper
• Chimney and chimney flue
• Oil Burner & oil burner parts: oil pump (fuel unit), blower, nozzle, electrodes, transformer, electric motor, air shutter, oil delay valve
• Oil Burner reset switch & oil burner motor reset switch (these are two separate controls)
• Oil tank, oil piping, oil valves, oil gauges
• Oil Burner Controls, high limit, low limit, circulator controls, cad cell relay, other flame sensors
• Circulator pumps
• Zone Valves
• Air bleeders and air purge devices
• Combination control - combining High Limit and "Low Limit" (which may or may not be in use depending on presence of a tankless coil)
• High Limit and Low Limit (if tankless coil) separate controls on older equipment
• Flame sensing device: Cad Cell or Stack Relay (watch for sensitive relays and learn about the re-stepping lever)
• Automatic water feeder and Expansion Tank
• Pressure Relief Valve
• Pressure and Temperature gauge--12 psi cold, less than 30 psi hot. Over 30 psi dumps relief valve.(Typical operating temperature settings LO-120-160 HI-180-200 degF. Typical operating temperature observed at the gauge will be below the high, and can be as low as nighttime room temperature in non-heating season if no tankless coil is in use. The temperature/pressure gauge may help in checking for normal conditions before and during boiler operation. However the gauge can be wrong!)

Other Key Components on Hot Water Heating Systems

• Air bleeders and air purge devices at baseboards, radiators, or piping
• Baseboards - electric or hot water. Leak stains, repairs indicating history of freeze-ups?
• Radiators - hot water or steam. Steam: observe steam valves on each radiator and identify one pipe vs two-pipe distribution system.
• Electrical power switches and fuses for oil heat systems
• Hot water distribution piping
• Hot water piping drain and balancing valves
• Tankless coil for making domestic hot water using the heating boiler; tips about leaks, missing mixing/tempering valve, relief valve (some jurisdictions). Risk of scalding water at the house sinks/tubs if there is no mixing valve.

Technical Reviewers

Particular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to the material. Content suggestions, technical corrections and content critique are invited for any of the content at our website.

• Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia ^© Website
• Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

More expert information on this topic

More Information on Inspecting and Repairing Heating Systems

• Carbon Dioxide Gas Toxicity
• Carbon Monoxide Gas Toxicity, exposure limits, poisoning symptoms, and inspecting buildings for CO hazards
• Dust from HVAC? An Investigation of Indoor Dust Debris Blamed on a Heating/Cooling System Reveals Carpet Dust
• Goodman Furnace High Temperature Plastic Vent HTPV safety recall US CPSC notice
• Home Heating System Should Be Checked [for proper venting and for CO Carbon Monoxide Hazards - DJF]
• Inspection Procedures for Oil-Fired Heating Systems Detailed step by step approaches for inspecting complex systems]
• Lennox Pulse Furnace Safety Inspection/Warranty Program: Carbon Monoxide Warning
• Oil Tanks - The Oil Storage Tank Information Website: Buried or Above Ground Oil Tank Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Abandonment of Oil Tanks
• Oil Tanks Above Ground, UL Standards, guidance for home owners, buyers, and inspectors
• Plastic Heating Vent Pipe & Other Heating Safety Recall Notices
• Weil McLain Model GV Gas Boiler/gas valve CPSC recall/repair
• Domestic and Commercial Oil Burners, Charles H. Burkhardt, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York 3rd Ed 1969.
• National Fuel Gas Code (Z223.1) $16.00 and National Fuel Gas Code Handbook (Z223.2) $47.00 American Gas Association (A.G.A.), 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209 also available from National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269. Fundamentals of Gas Appliance Venting and Ventilation, 1985, American Gas Association Laboratories, Engineering Services Department. American Gas Association, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209. Catalog #XHO585. Reprinted 1989.
• The Steam Book, 1984, Training and Education Department, Fluid Handling Division, ITT [probably out of print, possibly available from several home inspection supply companies] Fuel Oil and Oil Heat Magazine, October 1990, offers an update,
• Principles of Steam Heating, $13.25 includes postage. Fuel oil & Oil Heat Magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004.
• The Lost Art of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, 516-579-3046 FAX
• Principles of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, technical editor of Fuel Oil and Oil Heat magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004 ($12.+1.25 postage/handling).
• "Residential Steam Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
• "Residential Hydronic (circulating hot water) Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
• "Warm Air Heating Systems". Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
• Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Volume I, Heating Fundamentals,
• Boilers, Boiler Conversions, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23389-4 (v. 1) Volume II, Oil, Gas, and Coal Burners, Controls, Ducts, Piping, Valves, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23390-7 (v. 2) Volume III, Radiant Heating, Water Heaters, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps, Air Cleaners, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23383-5 (v. 3) or ISBN 0-672-23380-0 (set) Special Sales Director, Macmillan Publishing Co., 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022. Macmillan Publishing Co., NY
• Installation Guide for Residential Hydronic Heating Systems
• Installation Guide #200, The Hydronics Institute, 35 Russo Place, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
• The ABC's of Retention Head Oil Burners, National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, TM 115, National Old Timers' Association of the Energy Industry, PO Box 168, Mineola, NY 11501. (Excellent tips on spotting problems on oil-fired heating equipment. Booklet.)

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